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Stocks resume slide amid political volatility

After a three-session recovery drive, the stock market on Wednesday faltered due to uncertainty about the chances of a desired outcome of the ongoing dialogue between the government and the PTI, triggering nervous selling. As a result, the market slipped again on a bearish trajectory. Topline Securities Ltd said the bourse witnessed a consolidation phase characterised by notable volatility. The

Fight over resources

HERE is an interesting question: what exactly animates the polity in Pakistan that it sees repeated military interventions in civilian politics, as well as repeated attempts by political parties to try and team up with the military and annihilate their opponents? All political systems see competition between parties. It is what they are designed to do after all, to sublimate the conflictual for

Saudi looking into $100m investment in Pakistan’s mining sector with focus on Reko Diq: minister

Saudi Mining Minister Bandar Alkhorayef told Reuters on Wednesday that Saudi Arabian mining company Manara Minerals was looking at investing in Balochistan’s Reko Diq mine. He added that the Saudi Development Fund could contribute over $100 million to Pakistan’s mining infrastructure. “Part of what we are looking at is how we can help Pakistan also in some infrastructure,” Alkhorayef said in

Govt hikes petrol price by Rs3.47, high-speed diesel by Rs2.61

The federal government on Wednesday hiked the petrol price by Rs3.47 per litre and that of high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs2.61 per litre for the next fortnight. The new petrol price is Rs256.13 per litre and that of HSD is Rs260.95. “Ogra has worked out the consumer prices of petroleum products in view of fluctuations in international market in the last fortnight,” said a press release from th

Ahsan asks banks to enhance lending to SMEs for driving up exports

Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal urged banks on Wednesday to establish an “export development window” offering soft loans primarily to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to double exports under the newly launched five-year economic transformation programme, Uraan Pakistan. The minister emphasised the urgent need to increase exports from $30 billion to $100bn and to drive economic